The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting Florida State DL Joshua Farmer and Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten for pre-draft visits today, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Twitter.
Both players had been previously reported as visitors, but they are in Pittsburgh today to visit with the Steelers. Tuten is one of the fastest running backs in the draft, and he led the position in the 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Combine by running a 4.29. He also led the group with a 40.5″ vertical jump.
Tuten had an impressive season at Virginia Tech last year, running 183 times for 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns. In Bob McGinn’s pre-draft position-by-position series, scouts raved about him, with one saying he might be the second-best running back in the draft.
In Tom Mead’s scouting report, he gave Tuten a fourth-round grade.
“Overall, Tuten has good size and elite speed. He played in a zone-heavy scheme and can make a guy miss anywhere on the field. He runs with patience, varies his speed well and can accelerate in a blink. Running with good pad level and leg drive, he is difficult to take down and generally finishes forward. He is a solid receiver out of the backfield and can create after the catch.”
Ian Rapoport had previously reported that Farmer was in Pittsburgh for a visit today. With a need along the defensive line, Farmer provides the size that Pittsburgh looks for, measuring in at 6027, 314 pounds and with impressive length with 35 1/4-inch arms. That arm length is ideal for the Steelers, and Farmer could be a potential mid-round option along the defensive line.
In 42 games at Florida State, Farmer racked up 80 tackles, which included 21 tackles for loss, along with 11 sacks, two pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Tom Mead gave Farmer a fifth-round grade in his scouting report.
“Overall, Farmer has good height, weight, and elite length with good play strength. He has experience playing from the 0-tech to the 5-tech in one- and two-gap schemes. At the snap, he has twitchy burst with solid hand placement. His best rushes are push/pull and a bull rush. With a lane he has good acceleration to the quarterback. As a run defender, he can penetrate gaps in a 1-gap scheme and set the edge in a two-gap along with stacking blockers when one-on-one.”
Both players could be options for the Steelers on Day 2 or early on Day 3. With Pittsburgh not having a second-round pick due to the DK Metcalf trade, their only Day 2 pick right now is in the third round, but the Steelers could be a team that trades down in the first round to accumulate more picks, potentially on Day 2.
With Najee Harris departing, the team has a clear need at running back and Tuten fits as someone who possesses elite speed but also runs hard and could complement Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. After releasing Larry Ogunjobi, the Steelers added Daniel Ekuale and Esezi Otomewo, but the defensive line remains their biggest need, so both Farmer and Tuten are players that could come in and play a role for ther Steelers if they do wind up being drafted.
